FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.01.2008 14:01

Eto’o: results over style

Anna Segura

Samuel Eto’o has said that if he had to choose between playing well and winning, “For me personally, at this moment, winning points is more important; how we play doesn’t bother me”. It’s one solution to closing the gap on the league leaders.

In the press conference at the Nou Camp this Thursday one could see a typically clear and direct Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroon player admitted that losing to Real Madrid “was hard, but the team is not affected”. And Eto’o believes that there is still time to close the seven-point gap which separates Barça from the leaders. And among the solutions is winning every game.

Winning points

And the last thing Eto’o wants is to wave a white flag and surrender when there is still over half the league programme to play: “In life the last thing to lose is hope. Now is the time we must show that we are Barça”. But apart from believing in being able to turn things around, the Cameroon striker believes the answer lies in “winning points. It doesn’t matter how we play”.

When it comes to choosing, Eto’o puts results above the style of play which has characterised Barça for many years: “What I want is to win at all costs. The necessity at the moment is to win three points in every stadium”.

Fight to the end

With the idea of winning as many points as possible, Eto’o believes Barça are capable of closing the gap and, at the very least, making things difficult for the leaders: We have to go out to win all our games to become leaders but we also need a bit of luck”. And he doesn’t want to gift anything to the opposition: “They will have to sweat if they want to win. In the end they could win the title but we won’t make it easy for them”. And he added that it will be very important to make the most of any opportunity given to them by their main rivals.

In defence of Ronaldinho

Samuel Eto’o also spoke about Ronaldinho, who he believes has been receiving some uncalled-for criticism: “We never question him. He will always be Ronaldinho and he should continue enjoying his football. I think the public should appreciate what he has done for football and for Barça”. He also believes that Rijkaard is not responsible for the defeat against Madrid but that “we are all responsible”.

Return to Mallorca

This Saturday, Barça face Mallorca, one of the teams with whom Eto’o maintains a lot of affection, given that he wore their shirt for many seasons. The Cameroon star admits that he will never forget Mallorca because “they gave me a chance and I am what they taught me. But we need to win. We have to be respectful but we can only think about winning”.